During the period between the Super Bowl and the Draft, the NFL’s biggest event is unquestionably the Scouting Combine. With more than 300 Draft prospects, over a thousand media members, and hundreds of NFL team employees descending on downtown Indianapolis, the Combine is truly the only time all year that so much of the league is in a single place.
Even the NFL Draft, which draws thousands of fans, sees team personnel primarily conducting business from their home cities, and only a select few players attend the event in person. Thus, this week’s hectic activity makes for a whirlwind few days, and it all begins on Tuesday with the arrival of the first group of teams.
Not only are team officials on hand, but so are players’ agents, and this often is the first time since the end of the season that the two groups can get together and start talking about contracts for players under contract. The Packers will likely have some discussions with the agents for wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb this week, and with the start of free agency coming just over a week after the conclusion of the Combine, expect the team to make some decisions on the two wideouts in the coming days.
How Packers can get the most out of WR Jordy Nelson in 2018 | Packers Wire
The big argument here is for using Nelson more out of the slot to free him up on his release. However, you can't pay a pair of slot receivers more than $10 million apiece.
Picking early presents unfamiliar opportunity for Packers | Packers.com
The last time the Packers picked in the top half of round one was 2009, and we know how that turned out; B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews helped lead the Packers' defense to a Super Bowl title in their second seasons. Now the onus is on Brian Gutekunst to repeat history.
NFL Combine 2018: Sam Darnold’s hands and 7 more storylines to follow - SBNation.com
Dan Kadar breaks down things to watch at the Combine this week -- look for him to appear on some of our coverage from Indianapolis.
10 players who could be stars of the NFL Scouting Combine | USA TODAY Sports
Not surprisingly, a pair of top names here are quarterbacks, and running back Saquon Barkley is right up at the top. However, keep an eye on safety Derwin James and cornerback Donte Jackson, as both should put up stellar workouts.
Four-round mock draft: Allen goes No. 1; Bills, Cardinals trade up - NFL.com
In this new mock, the Packers start off with an off-ball linebacker in Boise State's Leighton Vander Esch before grabbing a tight end, wide receiver, corner, and interior lineman by the end of round four.